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There are currently 25 member reviews
for The Heart-Shaped Tin
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Dorothy M. (Maynard, MA)
A book to enjoy with a cup of tea and a tasty biscuit
"The things we surround ourselves with give meaning to our lives." And for Bee Wilson, who has written several food related books, those things are kitchen objects - the things we use to make food, serve food and eat food. Given the importance of food in our lives - love, comfort, celebration, solace - it isn't surprising that for many people it is food-related objects that call forth their memories. The author begins with a story at the end of her marriage. She writes about the devastation she feels in finding the heart-shaped tin that that she used to make her wedding cake, but she looks not only at the objects that have meaning for her as she works through the divorce, the loss of her mother, her children growing and leaving and the beginning of a new relationship but at how objects have been important to others. These objects range from a tomato-shaped salt shaker to an oil dispenser to mushroom canisters and often have little intrinsic value but the emotions they call forth are immense. The book is divided into sections - charms, mementos, junk, tools, symbols, gifts, and treasures. It covers topics as diverse as the discovery of an old cocoa jug that changed the history of chocolate to a tin spoon secretly created in a prison camp, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I holding a sieve.
She looks at the poetry pottery of a slave named David Drake (which is now in museums) and at the budare pan brought out from Venezuela when her friend left for a new life in Spain. You will learn about burial plates and glory boxes and the importance of Aga's. In sharing the memories of people, she also gives you history and background so that you read about not only David Drake's incredible pottery but about his life as a slave. This isn't a read-it -straight- through book - it's a pick up and read an essay with the tea I mentioned. Much enjoyed.
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Carol D. (Frisco, TX)
Good blend of stories; better read piecemeal?
Bee Wilson successfully mixed personal anecdotes of loved and lost kitchen objects with tales from people she encountered and historically relevant stories. The length of the essays was just right, and the categories she created helped to connect the stories. I enjoyed the variety of topics, but I think this is a great book to have by your bedside to dip into for a tale or two, rather than reading it straight through.
The photos were good, but I wish they had been in color. Perhaps in the final published version? To her credit, Wilson's descriptions of the objects were vivid enough that what I imagined the item to look like matched the image I found on the internet.
Two things that bothered me: In the last couple essays, Wilson's change from speaking to the reader to speaking to her mother or her new male companion was jarring. I'm not clear why she decided to do this. Also in multiple essays her mother's dementia was integral to the storyline. But the portrayal of her mother was not flattering, and she would have been unable to give her consent to be included in the book. Is this kind of writing ethical? moral? loving? For me, I was uncomfortable with these essays..
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Elizabeth L. (Langhorne, PA)
Warm and fuzzy feelings
Bee Wilson's book about the sentimental feelings we develop for everyday kitchen items brought to me many memories of the favorite kitchen tools that my mother, now age 87, still uses. Bee shared the sorrowful story behind her heart-shaped cake tin at the beginning and end of the book, yet she was able to keep the chapters in between full of well researched facts and interesting stories from people around the world. I recall my uncle's beer stein, an old friend's teacups, and my pressure cooker among the items that make for a funny tale. I would recommend this book to anyone who cherishes heirlooms, cries easily, and has time to savor each chapter. This book can be read chapter by chapter with no need to rush.
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Melissa S. (Rowland, NC)
Family Lore, Love, & Healing
"The Heart-Shaped Tin" by Bee Wilson proves to be an interesting read that is not what I expected from the given synopsis. While Wilson does offer moving stories of how everyday kitchen objects (even some labeled "junk") evoke strong emotional attachments to people and places of the past, I found that much of the novel centers on her healing after an unexpected dissolution of her first marriage. She spends a great deal of time detailing objects that tie to her ex-husband and the life they once shared, or how, in learning to navigate life without her "soulmate," she attaches meaning to objects they either used or he left behind. While I found her stories of love, loss, and healing touching, I also sought stories that focused on others and their quirky attachments to kitchen utensils, tools, and other objects.
The book is very well written. Bee has a conversational style that flows easily, and her organizational skills make the subject matter easy to follow and enjoyable to read. I especially like the way she organizes the "chapters" by the types of kitchen artifacts people are attached to – charms, mementos, gifts, tools, etc.
I especially like the bits of history she provides for certain "older" or obscure kitchen tools. I found the little bit of extra information added depth to the stories. The illustrations she includes for a few of the lesser-known kitchen objects are helpful as well and solidify those stories.
In conclusion, "The Heart-Shaped Tin" is a well-written book full of special stories that touch the reader and make him/her look at ordinary objects with new warmth and a possible love. I definitely recommend this read if you love short stories centered on emotional attachment. The subject of kitchen objects evokes memories of ones own family traditions and lost loved ones.
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Lynne Z. (San Francisco, CA)
Possessions and Memories
The Heart-shaped Tin is a series of essays about the history of everyday kitchen objects and their relevance and importance in people's lives. The carefully researched historical and cultural perspectives are interwoven with the author's personal experiences, especially the incredible loss she feels when her husband of almost 25 years leaves her for another woman. The stories are generally compelling, heart-warming, sometimes heartbreaking, and often very informative. Bee Wilson cleverly ties the individual stories together by beginning and ending with the heart-shaped tin.
Although it was an overall enjoyable read, it needed some editing. A few of the stories could have been left out to tighten up the narrative (e.g., The Melon Baller, The Queen's Sieve, The Elephant Plate and The Cream-coloured AGA). The stronger stories were a balanced combination of historical information and personal experiences. The seven sub-categories (Charms, Mementos, etc.) seemed contrived and unnecessary. Lastly, when The Oil Dispenser changed the narration from addressing the general audience and directed it to an individual reader, it was distracting and broke the flow of the book.
This is a book that has great appeal for a wide audience of readers. Each essay will connect with readers in their own way, based on individual life experiences. The Heart-shaped Tin will undoubtedly invoke memories. Most likely, it will change how one looks at kitchen objects and possessions in general.
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Susan D. (Wilmington, NC)
The Heart-Shaped Tin
This is a sweet, introspective book by Bee Wilson about everyday items and their impacts on our lives. She has been divorced and has watched her mother's slow decline through dementia. Certain objects have become particularly dear to her as she remembers them in her mother's hands. The heart-shaped tin from the title is the actual cake pan used for her wedding. It dropped suddenly from a shelf one day, landed at her feet, and provided the inspiration for the book.
In addition to describing her own attachments to beloved kitchen items, Wilson shares several stories of people from other cultures and the significance of treasured objects in their lives. There were times when I was afraid that the book would descend into dark troughs of grief and sentimentality, but Wilson managed to keep the stories light-hearted. As I read, I found myself considering some of the kitchen items and china sets that I own. I'm pretty practical, and know that my four adult daughters will likely not be thrilled to add these to their cabinets. But I hope they'll each take something to remember all the times we cooked and baked together.
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Marion M. (Mishawaka, IN)
Things of the Kitchen
The Heart-Shaped Tin : Love, Loss, & Kitchen Objects. Bee Wilson. W.W. Norton & Company, 2025, 312 pp.
British food writer and home cook, Bee Wilson, has dished up a rich serving of food history, personal and family memories, interviews with fellow foodies, and descriptions of old and new kitchen objects. Intertwined, the reader gets a dose of philosophy, sociology, psychology, economics, and British and food culture. The "story" begins when Wilson's "heart-shaped tin" falls at her feet about the time her husband announces he is leaving the marriage. The tin became a sign and symbol for her around which she wove the first story and referred back to throughout. Other intriguing kitchen objects fall into categories of charms (chocolate bottles), mementos (egg beaters), junk (salt shakers), tools (pressure cookers), symbols (mushroom canisters), gifts (burial plates), and treasure (corkscrews). While reading, this reviewer found herself thinking about similar objects she has had and what stories she could tell about usual and unusual kitchen objects like three electric coffee pots, copper mugs, and wooden salad bowls. Read the book slowly; think about your cooking, your kitchen objects, and the friends you have fed. You don't need to be a foodie to appreciate the beauty of language and objects.
